What we give makes all the difference!

Thanks to Sticks and Steel, a unique store in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, I have this wonderful sign hanging in my office window:

I reflect on this daily.  I know I am able to pay my bills, put gas in my car, and purchase new things by what I "get" at the end of each month in the way of a pay check.  My life, however, is enriched by what I am able to give.  In some ways, giving and getting are an infinity loop.  I have often found that what I give is often weak in comparison to what I get back in return.  

A major "infinity loop" I experience in my job deals with positive thinking.  I notice how those employees who have a positive vibe tend to have classrooms filled with positive students, work with positive colleagues, and enjoy their professional and personal life. Those departments with a positive outlook are filled with laughter and employees who love coming to work each day. 

There is plenty of research to support the power of positive thinking.  According to positive psychology researcher, Barbara Fredrickson, positive thought can creative real value in your life and help build long-lasting skills.  When one views things positively, emotions broaden one's sense of possibility and opens one's mind to options.  Positivity promotes exploration and creativity allowing people to broaden and build their future.  Fredrickson's research on negativity indicates that it inhibits future growth.  With negativity, the is a focus on immediate threat and danger rather than on developing valuable skills and appreciating the big picture of life.

Author James Clear writes, "To put it simply: seek joy, play often, and pursue adventure.Your brain will do the rest."  

I believe that children at a young age understand this!  They give freely of affection.  They give freely of emotion.  They give in to wonder, excitement, dancing, and singing.  That is life! 

Despite the negativity that tries to infiltrate my life on a daily basis, I am choosing positivity. I choose to give it each and every single day.  That's what I call "making a life!"